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Property Rights Case Nova Scotia (Attorney General) v. Walsh (English decision) Nova Scotia (Attorney General) v. Walsh (French decision)
Book Banning Case Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36 (English decision) Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36 (French decision)
"Religious doctrines must be deemed absolutely irrelevant in determining the content of secular laws ... Does public funding for Roman Catholic or other anti-LGBT religious schools constitute financial support for sexual orientation discrimination, analogous to financial support for racial discrimination?"
Catholic
Church Catholic leaders are not only against gays and lesbians having the right to marriage. They also want to exclude paraplegics from marriage too. See: Forbidden Wedding - the story of a paraplegic man in Brazil who was forbidden to marry because the Catholic Church suspected that he was sexually impotent.
Support For Equal Marriage Atlantic
Provinces: 45% support Nova
Scotia: 45% support P.E.I.:
43% support New Brunswick: 43% support
Please
support
Read a constituent's response in September's mail
True
leadership means redressing the discriminatory exclusion of same-sex couples
from marriage law as quickly as posible.
The decision by courts in regards to the recognition of same-sex marriages, has upset a large cohort of Canada's citizen's. In response to this, [the university's centre] would like to begin a petition which states that those who sign it "...agree with the view that same-sex marriages deserve to be legally recognized and supported in Canada ... that the federal government should accept the courts ruling in support of same-sex marriages, and should thus end their appeal of this decision." We have created a petition on-line, and ask for your support. Byron
Rolls
Please write to Premier Ralph Klein in support of equal marriage.
"These
numbers are phenomenal. Gay people now believe this is within reach, which
is the necessary precursor to reaching it."
"Exclusion
of a student from a significant occasion of school life, like the school
Prom, constitutes a restriction in access to a fundamental social institution."
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Advocacy NewsAdvocacy News from 2002Two
Supreme Court Decisions Two Supreme Court decisions, in as many days, have been positive indicators that same-sex marriage victories will continue to accumulate in Canadian courts. Court distinguishes between marriage and common-law Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada delivered a decision that appears to support the argument that gays and lesbians must be allowed to marry. In an 8-1 decision the court decided that only married couples have a right to a 50/50 split of property upon disolving a marriage. "If you chose not to walk up the aisle," the Globe and Mail said, "don't expect to get half the house." "The decision to marry or not is intensely personal and engages a complex interplay of social, political, religious and financial considerations by the individual," said the court. "People who marry can be said to freely accept mutual rights and obligations. A decision not to marry should be respected because it also stems from a conscious choice of the parties. If they have chosen not to marry, is it the state's task to impose a marriage-like regime on them retroactively?" And what about gays and lesbians whom, at this time, only have protections afforded common-law partners? Clearly, we must share equally in the rights and obligations available to opposite-sex couples. "The court is saying that the law is not discriminatory because people have a choice whether or not to marry.But it obviously follows that if they don't have that right to marry, then they do not have that choice, family-law expert Philip Epstein told the Globe and Mail. Court says ban of same-sex books was wrong "
. . . the demand for tolerance cannot be interpreted as the demand to approve
of another person's beliefs or practices. When we ask people to be tolerant of
others, we do not ask them to abandon their personal convictions. We merely ask
them to respect the rights, values and ways of being of those who may not share
those convictions. The belief that others are entitled to equal respect depends,
not on the belief that their values are right, but on the belief that they have
a claim to equal respect regardless of whether they are right. Learning about
tolerance is therefore learning that other people's entitlement to respect from
us does not depend on whether their views accord with our own. Children cannot
learn this unless they are exposed to views that differ from those they are taught
at home." A British Columbia School Board's decision to ban books depicting same-sex parents from the classroom "was unreasonable in the context of the educational scheme laid down by the legislature," the Supreme Court of Canada ruled today (7 - 2). It said there was a clear responsibility to promote respect for diversity. Further the court found that the Board "violated the principles of secularism and tolerance". "Instead of proceeding on the basis of respect for all types of families, the Board proceeded on an exclusionary philosophy," the decision said. Further, the Board failed to consider the relevance of the proposed material, it failed to consider the curriculum's goal, and erred in their "concerns about cognitive dissonance and age-appropriateness". Although the Board was authorized to ban a book from classroom use, it had to act on "strictly secular and non-sectarian principles" and avoid "religious dogma or creed", according to s.76 of the School Act in B.C. "It [s.76]does not limit in any way the freedom of parents and Board members to adhere to a religious doctrine that condemns homosexuality but it does prohibit the translation of such doctrine into policy decisions by the Board, to the extent that they reflect a denial of the validity of other points of view," the decision said. Canada
Pension Plan Class Action
The government of Canada introduced the Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act (Bill C23, 2000) in response to court orders that demanded an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation. Work began on the bill in 1998, so when surviving spouses of same-sex relationships asked for their fair and equal benefit, the government claimed it only had to pay survivor benefits to the spouses of same-sex partners who died in 1998 or thereafter.
Today an Ontario Superior Court Justice agreed to hear a combined case involving all provinces (except Quebec) in June 2003. However, given Douglas Elliott's record of success in human rights cases, the government may attempt to settle. It amounts to a $400 million dollar claim for those who were denied benefits that would have otherwise been given to them if their partner had been of the opposite sex. It means more security for seniors when they need it most. "I would like to have my day in court, but on the other hand if the settlement is favourable I'm certainly not about to put the taxpayer through all the expense for the sake of going to court," said George Hislop, a Toronto-based long-time activist and lead plaintiff in the case (Canadian Press). November 12, 2020 The
Justice Minister's The Canadian Liberal government's resistance to same-sex marriage has taken on Alice-in-Wonderland qualities as they continue to ignore our Charter. Last week, while we were speaking in the Maritimes, the Justice Minister released his long-awaited discussion paper. It's all in preparation for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Queen
Elizabeth II Medal For The Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been awarded to the Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, in recognition of his contribution to the LGBT community and the role he has played in improving human rights in Canada. The medal was presented to Rev. Hawkes at a reception in honour of his 25 years of service at MCCT. Reverent Hawkes married us, with our friends Anne and Elaine Vautour, gaining world-wide attention for our drive to full equality. James Chamberlain, the BC teacher and equality advocate, will be presented a medal tomorrow to honour his tremendous ongoing contribution for LGBT equality. James is one of the petitioners involved in the Surrey book banning case, involving children's books which give visibility to same-sex parents. Congratulations to our champions of equality! It is a sign of the times, of how far we have come, and encouragement as we continue to push forward, onwards to our full and equal rights. Catholic
Bishops Abuse the Spirituality Cornwall, Ontario - Canadian Catholic bishops met this week for an annual assembly to discuss "issues". While Stephen Harper was offending Canadians with his homophobia in the House of Commons, the Catholic bishops were trying to figure out how to get fair and decent Canadians to do the same thing. The bishops are looking at ways to encourage married Catholic couples to repeat the bigotry encoded in the doctrine of their beliefs, and speak out against same-sex marriage. "Many people don't want to get involved in the debate because they could be perceived as being intolerant or as people who are not compassionate," Bishop Pierre Morissett told the Canadian Catholic News. The Catholic church, despite receiving tax dollars from Canadians, is asking its faithful to act against Canada's rights and freedoms. Further, the Catholic church appears to condone violence against gays who try to enjoy the same rights as other citizens:
When civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has
any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised
when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent
reactions increase." The Bishops are brainstorming on how to fire up their faithful. Archbishop Exner of Vancouver is organizing "a massive letter writing campaign", according to the Catholic News, and Ontario bishops are working on a document that will ask Catholics to lobby members of Parliament. Religious hostility against LGBT people has no place in the public sphere (keep it in church or at home if one must). We are not asking the Catholic Church to drop its dogma, even though Vatican beliefs translate into bigotry in Canada. We only ask the Pope not to impose his doctrine of prejudice on our country and politicians. Canada is not a church-state. The world has seen how religious leaders can inspire their faithful to commit atrocities against others. Canadians must reject the prejudice and bigotry of the bishop of Rome and his collaborators, the Catholic bishops. They surely do not represent the majority of Catholic Canadians who have also rejected Vatican positions on birth control and divorce. Claiming
Our Universal Rights In the four months since the publication of Just Married, we have been introduced to some of the best jurists, lawyers, and advocates from around the world. Many had gathered at a conference in Turin where we learned of the work underway to bring equality to the global LGBT community. Among the presenters was Nigel Christie, from our fellow commonwealth nation, New Zealand. The country's human rights legislation, like Canada, is the foundation for their argument for equal marriage. Nigel's work with LeGaLE is similar to what has been done in Canada through EGALE - legal equality. So it was with pleasure that we accepted an opportunity to send greetings to the couples and advocates who are working for equal marriage in New Zealand: Lesbian and Gay Legal Equality - October 2002 Newsletter October 1, 2002 (Updated Nov. 12) Equal
Marriage Advocacy Tour
One thing I would have to admire is the tenacity of you people. However, the poles
(sic) did indicate that we don’t want what you do here in the Atlantic provinces
by a majority. However, by all means don’t let that stop you because your kind
do not know the meaning of give up! If you want that kind of lifestyle keep it,
but don’t ask us to help you by condoning it. An entire city was once destroyed
for the same thing. Check your history. A poll released last month indicated fewer than half of Atlantic Canadians support the legalization of same-sex marriages. More than 1,500 people responded to a Telegram (Newfoundland)/Corporate Research Associates survey between August 14 and August 28 ( "accurate to within 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20"). On average, 45% of people in the Atlantic provinces support same-sex marriage. Newfoundland showed the strongest support (48%), while New Brunswick shared the lowest support for same-sex marriage with Prince Edward Island (43%). In an effort to strengthen support for equal marriage in Atlantic Canada, and in preparation for parliamentary hearings on the subject, we visited the region. The idea, and initial contacts came from our friend Bruce E. Walker. The trip was produced by Richard Blaquiere with an incredible team of volunteers and supporters in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Together, they organized 8 events (most were open to the public) at universities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. We also ventured off-campus to meet with community activists and faith communities. Our schedule included: November
3 - 4, 2002 - Frederiction, New Brunswick November
5, 2002 - Saint John, New Brunswick November
6 - 7, 2002 - Sackville, New Brunswick November
7-9, 2002 - Halifax, Nova Scotia Read our report from the Maritime tour. When we were married, we said we wouldn't take a honeymoon until our record of marriage was registered. Still, as we work for justice, our Just Married tour, has taken us far away from home. It total, we have been to 7 Canadian cities with plans to work in 4 more next month. Last spring we were in Turin, Italy, and this fall we were on the wooded campus of the University of New Hampshire. Sometimes we have been guests, but most times we have paid our own way, happy to have an opportunity to contribute to change. Our various advocacy tools (web site, book, tust account, and public appearances) have unique purposes, but they are all aligned towards one common goal: equality. We hope you will join us, in any way you can, on this journey. Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell Liberal
M.P. Promotes Discrimination Liberal party member of parliament John Bryden (Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot) released a "Summer 2002" report that has drawn sharp criticism and a call for action by the Alternative Moms in Peel Region. In a venemous and hateful tirade titled "Rights of children ignored" Bryden calls the Ontario court decision in favour of equality of same-sex couples "scandalous" and "a slap in the face to Parliament". "It suggests," writes Bryden, "the court thinks MPs are ignorant of human rights." Or MPs are simply willing to ignore our human rights and Charter? Bryden is worried that same-sex relationships in adoption and child custody situations will have an equal footing with opposite-sex relationships. "I am not prepared to accept that it makes no difference to a child whether his parents are same-sex or opposite-sex," Bryden declares. "The judges have failed to consider the rights of the child." "No sir," begins a response from Renee King and Leslie Forrester (founders of Alternative Moms in Peel Region). In a September 24 email sent to Bryden, the Prime Minister, and other MPs in the area west of Toronto, the pair point out that an "experienced and educated individual will interview both parents in addition to their family, friends, and child(ren)" before making recommendations that "do not take irrelevant issues such as sexual orientation into consideration." The Moms listed the relevant issue for the MP: "Are the child's needs being met? Does the child have adequate food/clothing/shelter? Is the child happy? Is the child healthy? Does the child have a close bond to the parent? Is the parent/child relationship warm and loving? Does the parent make decisions that prioritize the needs/rights of the child? Is the parent meeting all special health requirements of the child? Is the child living in a safe environment free from abuse?" The letter was sent to other MPs in the area west of Toronto in hope of isolating Bryden's bigotry and obtaining support from other MPs in their effort to "educate Mr. John Bryden" on this matter. "We do not deserve your ignorance and prejudice," King and Forrester wrote to Bryden. "We deserve equal rights. We demand your respect."
August 8, 2002 Canadian
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Not
so, claims those involved in a 10,000 member class action suit involving the law
firm 
In
this most-American of Canadian provinces, where religious fundamentalism has most
infected politics, Premier Ralph Klein huffed and puffed over the 
